After-School News

Maine's law enforcement leaders know from experience and the research that the hours from 3 to 6 PM on school days are the "prime time for juvenile crime." Nearly seven school-age Maine children in every ten are in households where both parents or the only parent are in the workforce. Almost one quarter of Maine's children are regularly left to care for themselves. Studies show that after school is the peak time for teens to commit crime, be a victim of crime, be in or cause a car crash and smoke, drink or use drugs. Quality, constructive and highly supervised programs can cut crime immediately and convert after school hours into safe learning time. One high-quality program found that boys left out of the program averaged six times more crimes than teens in the program. A study of Boys & Girls clubs showed that housing projects without the clubs had 50 percent more vandalism and 37 percent worse drug activity. Teens in one California after-school program were half as likely to be rearrested than teens not in the program.

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Maine members call on lawmakers to increase funding for after-school programs that keep kids out of trouble during the "prime time for juvenile crime." They launch extensive media campaigns to raise awareness of these valuable programs.

Reports

All Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Maine reports on after-school:

"Every day we fail to help working families afford quality educational child care and after-school programs, we increase the risk that you or someone you love will fall victim to violence."

-Sheriff Mark Dion, Cumberland County Sheriff's Department

Membership Info >

• The single hour most likely for a teen to commit a violent crime-homicide, rape, robbery, or assault-is between 3 PM and 4 PM.
• High school kids commit four out of five juvenile crimes in California.